Local Sport

Defensive crisis could force King into loan deal

BRENDON King could be forced to dip into the loan market for a defender due to forthcoming suspensions.

Sam Poole, Ed Palmer and Kyle Critchell are all set to serve bans on November 17 which would leave the Terras with no recognised centre-backs for the home clash against Cambridge City.

Barry McConnell can play in that position and there are a couple of options in the reserves but King is also considering looking elsewhere.

He told Echosport: “Sam and Ed are both set to miss one game and Kyle is out for three.

“We are now working to overcome that and are looking at all the different options available to us.

“The first team played the reserves on Tuesday night, which gave me a chance to cast an eye over them, and there is also the possibility of looking at a loan signing too. Time is still on our side and I am hopeful of finding a solution as soon as possible.”

All three players will be available for Saturday’s trip to St Albans City where Weymouth will look to bounce back following last Saturday’s 5-1 home defeat against Stourbridge in which they were reduced to nine men.

King added: “We have looked back at the Stourbridge game and studied the goals.

“For 40 or so minutes we matched them until the penalty and the sending off at 1-1, which obviously changed things.

“We then went down to nine, which didn’t help either, and from there it was always going to be difficult.

“However, when you look at the build up to the penalty, although it was good football, we should have stopped the ball getting to the edge of our box.

“It was all a bit too easy the way it came straight down the middle and it should not have happened.

“We are doing all we can to eradicate these errors but at the end of the day it is down to the players.

“We can work on things and talk about them until we are blue in the face but unless they take responsibility out there and put things into practice it is not going to change.”

King went on to say: “As individuals people are playing well but as a team we need to sharpen up.

“Along with the board, we worked extremely hard in the summer to get these players in and I still believe we are not far away – we just need to get that mix right.

“Unfortunately, we are not in a position to go out and get three or four new faces to put a bit more pressure on them, so all we can do is roll our sleeves up and get on with it.

“The players are hurting too and as a unit we know we are better than what our current league position suggests.

“However, the only thing that is going to get us that high level of consistency is hard work, and we will get there even if it means moving a few out and bringing others in.

“At the moment every time we put a side out we just don’t know what we are going to get.

“Once we remedy that and get everyone on top of their games I have no doubt we will start moving up the table.”

The Terras currently lie 15th in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division, just five points above the bottom two.